Monday Morning Quarterback Week 7

Matchup

The Good

The Bad

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

A week after the 49ers got handled easily by the Giants, they got back on the winning track. Alex Smith did not have a stellar game, but he did enough in the second half to get the 49ers the comeback win. He threw a 12-yard TD pass to Delanie Walker in the third quarter that gave the 49ers a lead they would not relinquish.

Russell Wilson could not sustain the Week Six success he had against the shaky New England secondary. He was just 9-of-23 for 122 yards against the tough Niners defense and the Seahawks could not muster any decent offense in the second half. Smith threw for just 140 yards, and that’s not good enough for a championship caliber quarterback.

Matt Hasselbeck did not lose his cool after the Titans fell behind. While he had the good fortune to benefit from Chris Johnson’s 195-yard rushing effort, he completed 22-of-33 passes and hit Nate Washington with the game-winning touchdown pass. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

The Bills overcame an early deficit and rallied to take a lead with two Fitzpatrick TD passes in the third quarter. However, when the Bills had a chance to put the game away in the fourth quarter, Fitzpatrick could not sustain the momentum.

Dallas Cowboys

Carolina Panthers

Tony Romo completed 24-of-34 passes for 227 yards and he did not throw an interception, and that had to please head coach Jason Garrett. Romo’s second-quarter touchdown pass to Miles Austin was thrown with a feather-like touch that few quarterbacks could match.

Cam Newton did not have bad numbers, but he was not able to bring the Panthers a much-needed win. He appears to be struggling with his confidence as well as his playmaking. Newton threw for 233 yards and ran for 64 yards.

A week after getting taken apart, the Texans bounced back and beat the Ravens without mercy. Matt Schaub was on top of his game, completing 23-of-37 passes for 256 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His accuracy put the pressure on Baltimore’s shaky secondary.

Joe Flacco was not up to the task of matching Schaub’s sharp performance. Flacco was just 21-of-43 for 147 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Injuries hurt the Ravens’ defense and Flacco was not up to the task of carrying them.

The Browns may have lost this game, but Brandon Weeden appeared to hold his own in his personal battle with Colts’ rookie sensation Andrew Luck. Weeden completed 25-of-41 passes for 264 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Luck did what he had to for the Colts to get the win at home, but he did not have a razor sharp game against Cleveland’s defense. He threw for 186 yards while completing 16-of-29 passes and did not throw a TD pass. He was sacked three times and he fumbled once while taking some big hits.

The Cardinals did not appear to have much of a chance because John Skelton had to play in place of Kevin Kolb, but the slowish Skelton made the most of his opportunity and threw for 262 yards while completing 25-of-36 passes. He nearly got the Cardinals back in the game after a slow start.

It wasn’t all good for Skelton as his third quarter pass was picked off by Harrison Smith and returned 31 yards for a touchdown. Christian Ponder is starting to struggle badly. He threw for 58 yards and was intercepted twice.

New York Jets

Washington Redskins

While the Giants won the game, it was Robert Griffin III who continues to write a sensational script in his rookie season. He completed 20-of-28 passes for 258 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran nine times for 89 yards and kept his cool against the Giants’ relentless pass rush. While Eli Manning did not have a great game, he threw a perfect 77-yard fourth-quarter TD pass to Victor Cruz that gave the Giants the victory.

Manning struggled with his consistency most of the game. When the Giants’ defense recovered an RGIII fumble, Manning threw an interception on the next play. It was one of the two picks he threw in the game.

Aaron Rodgers is back in MVP form after a shaky start. He riddled the St. Louis defense, completing 30-of-37 passes for 342 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. His 39-yard fourth-quarter scoring pass to Randall Cobb while running to his left was perfectly placed. Sam Bradford threw the ball well for the Rams, completing 21-of-34 passes for 255 yards.

Bradford did all he could for the Rams. He can’t match the performance of Rodgers or other elite quarterbacks and that’s going to be a shortcoming for the Rams for the foreseeable future.

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Another scintillating performance from Drew Brees. He threw for 377 yards and had four scoring passes, all in the first half. Josh Freeman was equal to the task. He led a never-say-die Tampa Bay offense by throwing for 420 yards with four TD passes and he was not intercepted.

While Brees opened the game in amazing fashion, he was rather ordinary in the second half. Much of that had to do with a more conservative outlook but he could not find the end zone with any of his second-half passes.

Tom Brady overcame an inconsistent effort by leading the Patriots on a desperation drive in the final moments of the fourth quarter that allowed Stephen Gostkowski to kick the game-tying field goal. He later led another FG drive in overtime that gave New England the win. Brady also threw two TD passes. Mark Sanchez threw for 328 yards and was aggressive.

While Sanchez had one of his better games, the Jets had to settle for field goals on two late drives. If he had gotten the Jets into the end zone on either one, they likely would have won the game.

After an uninspired start, Carson Palmer led the Raiders on the comeback trail and he helped secure the overtime victory. Palmer threw for 298 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Denarius Moore in the third quarter and also ran for the game-tying touchdown.

After an uninspired start, Carson Palmer led the Raiders on the comeback trail and he helped secure the overtime victory. Palmer threw for 298 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Denarius Moore in the third quarter and also ran for the game-tying touchdown.

After an uninspired start, Carson Palmer led the Raiders on the comeback trail and he helped secure the overtime victory. Palmer threw for 298 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Denarius Moore in the third quarter and also ran for the game-tying touchdown.

The Bengals have dropped three straight games and Andy Dalton appears to have lost his edge. Dalton completed just 14-of-28 passes for 105 yards and he could not ignite the Cincinnati offense in the second half.